[QUOTE=gabrieldj;858559The recent changes demanded by publishers, however, are not reasonable. My biggest issue is not the price, but the pushed back availability of the e-books....[/quote]
I'm happy to tell you that your perception is incorrect.
At least one major publisher that is forcing the agency model (Macmillan) plans to release ebooks simultaneously with the initial paper publication. The situation is actually getting better rather than getting worse.
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Originally Posted by gabrieldj
Now, I have to choose between waiting for the book, sometimes months after the hardcover release, getting in line for it at the library, or spending money on a heavy hardcover that I don’t want to lug around or have cluttering up my house.
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Not really. In fact, the big 5 publishers no longer need to delay the release of ebooks ("windowing"), since they can set the price of the ebooks.
Things are still changing a bit, but I'd say in a month or two windowing will be a fading memory rather than an economic reality.
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Originally Posted by gabrield
To add insult to injury, the price of the e-books is sometimes only a few dollars less than the hardcover retail price.
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Sure, if you ignore the shipping & handling costs.
The paper costs are actually close to only 15% or so of the book. New ebooks are also generally hitting $10-15, whereas the "hardcover retail price" is actually more like $25 or $30. So the prices are actually a bit more in line than you probably think.
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Originally Posted by gabrield
I don’t know what to do now.
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Man up?
Seriously, it's not that big of a deal. Availability of books in general, let alone new books, was actually much worse a year or so. There are plenty of ebooks -- including new publications -- at the $10 price point. So take it easy; if you like an ebook and it's a bit too expensive, just add it to your wish list and wait for the cost to go down.